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Huytonians Remembered - Margaret O'Malley

	23 Aug 2023
	Written by Jane Rooney (Alexander)
	Huyton College

MARGARET O'MALLEY

Margaret Iola O'Malley was born on 11th April 1950. Her family lived on Queen's Drive in Liverpool and she attended Huyton College, leaving at 18 in 1968. She was an extremely high achiever, being musical, sporty and academically excellent in all subjects. In 1965 she was awarded The Margaret Colvin Memorial Prize for English jointly with Hilary Ormiston. She died at the tragically young age of 23.

Michael O'Malley, Margaret's brother, writes

"My sister Margaret was quite simply the most intelligent person I have ever met and when you think that both our parents were doctors, that is saying something.

At the age of 11 in 1961, Margaret took her 11+ and achieved a score of 100%, after that date she never got a mark less than 100% in any exam she ever took. In 1965 Margaret took 10 'O' Levels and managed a score of 100% in all of them. Something that the Oxford Local exam board had not seen before. They were so impressed that they took it upon themselves to inform the press and I still have a copy of the article that appeared later in the Daily Express. Two years later Margaret took her 'A' Levels. The subjects she took were:-

Maths; Physics and Chemistry.

She also took three 'S' Levels in Maths; Physics and Chemistry. Again achieving a maximum 100% in all of them.

In her spare time she also took the Oxbridge entrance exam and was offered a place in both Universities but eventually accepted a place in New Hall College Cambridge. As she was only 17 at the time, she decided she would defer her place at New Hall for 12 months until she turned 18. During those 12 months, she went back to Huyton College to obtain some teaching practice by teaching Maths to the younger girls. She also took another three 'A' levels achieving 100% in all three, again in one year.

After leaving Huyton, for the next three months, she went to work for the classical guitarist John Williams and his wife while he was touring Scotland. John was a great friend of the school's music teacher Mr. Lishman, who got Margaret the job. This enabled Margaret to improve her guitar playing skills to concert standard. Something that would become useful for her her time at Cambridge University. Over the next three years, Margaret achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Mathematics at Cambridge.

Margaret was also a devout Christian and joined the Christian Society at Cambridge and a young group of Christians used to tour the Country singing in local churches. I will always remember 37 students camped out in our house when the group toured the Liverpool churches!

Margaret decided after getting her degree that she would take an extra course to obtain her teaching diploma. This course would start in Cambridge the following January. In the meantime Margaret went to Belgium to work for a Christian Organisation called Operation Mobilisation who sent missionaries to Africa. Early on, Margaret realised that she loved the work so much that she decided to defer her place at Cambridge for a further 12 months and stay on in Belgium working for Operation Mobilisation. On 14th December 1973, Margaret got up early to have a bath. The hot water was fed by a gas geyser which was faulty and she was overcome by carbon monoxide poisioning. She was found unresponsive about an hour later. A very tragic loss of someone who had her whole life ahead of her. Over the years, I have often wondered how her life would have turned out. I am convinced that whatever she put her mind to, she would have achieved.

The last time we went in holiday as a family was the summer of 1972. We spent a week in Tenby South Wales and a week in Torquay. In Torquay we stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel, whose manager inspired the creation of Fawlty Towers, written and starring John Cleese as the manager! We were joined on the trip by Margaret's best friend, Lesley Gilliat, who I am still in close contact with today."

As well as achieving top marks academically, Margaret also took full part in other school activities, being a member of the School Choir, the School Orchestra, running the Chess Club and being a member of the cast in School productions. She also made various contributions to the School Magazine.